GENEVA, N.Y. - The 11th-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team fell to eighth-ranked Union College 15-8 this afternoon in Liberty League action on McCooey Field. The Herons drop to 12-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play, while the Dutchwomen improve to 12-2 on the season and 7-1 in the league.

Sophomore Molly Fitzgerald (Gould Academy/Sudbury, Mass.) led the Herons with three goals and two assists, while first-year Cassie Findlay (Episcopal/Riverside, Conn.) netted two goals, and senior Rachel Stahl (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville, N.Y.) notched a goal and a helper. First-year Kara Grogan (Gunnery School/West Simsbury, Conn.) and sophomore Sarah Goodkind (Millbrook School/Greenwich, Conn.) each tallied once for the hosts as well.

Three Dutchwomen recorded four points to lead Union. First-year Chelsea Charette (South Hadley/South Hadley, Mass.), sophomore Steph Egizi (Westwood/Westwood, Mass.), and senior Keri Messa (Hotchkiss School/Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) all tallied two goals and two assists. Sophomore Allie Cuozzo (King Phillip Regional/Norfolk, Mass.) also added two goals and a helper.

Cuozzo opened the scoring 4 minutes, 46 seconds into the contest. The Dutchwomen's first score was quickly answered by a tally from William Smith's Findlay at the 25:47 mark. Just 37 seconds later, Egizi netted her first goal of the day, assisted by Charette, to put the visitors back up 2-1.

The Herons again found an answer, this time in the form of Fitzgerald. She was responsible for the next two goals, giving William Smith its only lead of the day, 3-2, with 21:38 remaining in the first half.

Union began to pull away after Messa sparked a five-goal scoring run with 20:39 left to play in the period. Stahl and first-year Dutchwoman Kristin Joyce (Longmeadow/Longmeadow, Mass.) traded goals to end the half, giving the visitors an 8-4 advantage at the break.

Union kept the pressure on in the second stanza, outscoring the Herons 7-4. Goodkind and Findlay scored the final two goals of the game, but could not dig William Smith out of its deficit.

The Dutchwomen held a slim 38-32 advantage in total shots, while the Herons recorded a slight 21-20 advantage in ground balls.

William Smith junior netminder Becky Josefiak (West Seneca East/West Seneca, N.Y.) collected 12 saves, while senior Morgan Baird (Pingree School/Gloucester, Mass.) stopped three shots in relief. First-year goalie Cat Ruggiero (Huntington/Huntington, N.Y.) finished with 17 saves for Union.

The Herons will be back in action tomorrow, April 26, when they hosts Skidmore for their last regular season contest at 2:00 p.m. William Smith and Union will meet again on May 2 in the semifinal round of the Liberty League Tournament hosted by Hamilton College.

Score by Period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Union College.......  8  7 - 15
William Smith.......  4  4 -  8

Union College SCORING:
GOALS: Keri Messa 2; Steph Egizi 2; Chelsea Charette 2; Allie Cuozzo 2; Kristin Joyce 2; Jill LaForest 2; Caitlin Cuozzo 1; Emily Bryson 1; Shelby Cutter 1.
ASSISTS: Chelsea Charette 2; Steph Egizi 2; Keri Messa 2; Allie Cuozzo 1; Caitlin Cuozzo 1; Liz Zamore 1.

William Smith SCORING:
GOALS: Molly Fitzgerald 3; Cassie Findlay 2; Rachel Stahl 1; Sarah Goodkind 1; Kara Grogan 1.
ASSISTS: Molly Fitzgerald 2; Rachel Stahl 1.

Union College GROUND BALLS: Melissa Hine 4; Keri Messa 4; Emily Bryson 3; Allie Cuozzo 2; Maria Prendergast 2; Cat Ruggiero 2; Kelley Flanagan 1; Becca Kriskey 1; Julie Rahill 1.

William Smith GROUND BALLS: Karin LeBlanc 4; Kim Armani 3; Molly Fitzgerald 3; Torie Allen 2; Sarah Goodkind 2; Kara Grogan 2; Michaela Parnell 2; Brittany Callaghan 1; Sarah Davidson 1; Keillan Lecky 1.

Union College TURNOVERS CAUSED: Melissa Hine 3; Keri Messa 1; Julie Rahill 1.

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2008-04-25